Sign The Petition: change.org
Paradise California Fire Video: youtube.com
Fires in Lahaina Hawaii, Southern California, South Carolina and others (these are only the most recent ones) were started by overhead power lines. Do we want Walker to end up like those communities?
We are not trying to stop APS from doing the project. We’d simply like them to do it in a safer, more conscientious manner.
We are asking APS to run underground lines (rather than overhead) in an effort to mitigate the possibility of wildfire caused by above ground lines sparking off (for any number of reasons) and staring a fire.
Overhead power lines pose an unreasonable and unnecessary risk and must not be used for this project.
Because the new line will run along Walker Road and crisscross it MANY times, should a wildfire start due to the new overhead lines there is a high likelihood it will cut off the main egress/escape route for many of us. (We do understand there is another way out but it’s not nearly as accessible as Walker Road is.)
Homeowner’s property insurance is already hard enough to procure and in most cases has gotten to be very expensive. In all likelihood overhead power lines will make it even more difficult to acquire and more costly because of the history overhead power lines have of starting fires.
APS is trying to make us believe running new underground power will be infinitely more expensive than going overhead. While the inital cost might be some higher (APS is throwing out STUPID high numbers with no supporting documentation) aren’t our homes and lives worth it? Apparently not to APS.
The latest word from APS is that the poles are to be 45 to 65 feet tall, (that’s the height that will stick out of the ground) and 1 to 3 feet in diameter. Many will have to have guard rails around the base due to how close they’re going to be to the road.
The forest and other vegetation is going to be wiped out along the path of the poles and lines “for safety reasons”.
Underground power would disturb vegetation along the trench route for a very limited time then it would grow back. A fraction of the number of trees would be impacted as compared to overhead lines.
Aesthetically, overhead power lines will devastate the beauty of our forest which will in turn very likely drop property values.
With the existing underground power, we’re rarely out of power, and even then, it’s for short periods of time. APS openly states and even touts that their new AI system will automatically turn the power off when it senses too much wind. This is supposed to prevent forest fires. Too much wind??? What does that even mean? How often will it shut down the system? And for how long? AI is NOT the answer – underground power is!
APS has claimed underground power cannot be run the distance of this project – 7 ½-ish miles. Meanwhile PG&E is running tens of thousands of miles of underground, replacing overhead lines.
Should overhead power lines cause a fire, yes, it will start along Walker Road, but the reality is it will spread to potentially burn anything and everything south of SR69 (if they can effectively use that road as a fire break) wiping out the recreation area, the forest, homes, businesses and wildlife. That’s nothing to say what it will cost to fight it, the air quality while doing so, and the final cost of the devastation – remembering that many likely wouldn’t have been able to obtain homeowner’s insurance.
There is a bill in the legislature right now that they’re trying to get passed that will significantly reduce the amount utility companies can be held responsible for starting wildland fires. Another reason APS doesn’t care about doing the job right and running the lines underground.
What we want is for APS to do the responsible thing and run new underground lines for the safely of everything we hold dear.
Overhead Power Lines on Walker Road
APS has proposed installing overhead power lines on power poles down Walker Road. They will be next to the road from Costco to Hummingbird Hill Road.
These lines will replace the existing lines that come from Groom Creek, over the mountain and through the forest. The new lines will allow better access to them for maintenance.
APS has sent a letter explaining the proposal to some residents in Walker, but not all.
APS wants to keep costs down. Overhead lines are cheaper to install than buried lines, primarily due to the engineering costs upfront. Maintenance costs on buried lines is higher, but virtually never needed.
Resident’s Concerns
Walker residents have come together to organize an effort to persuade APS to bury the line instead.
1. Forest Fire Danger from overhead power lines. The potential exists whenever there is a high power line near a tree in the forest.
2. Evacuation Danger if there were to be a fire on Walker Road, it would block your escape.
3. The Aesthetic Damage to beautiful forest that we live in.
4. Property Value Drop caused by the less appealing environment.
5. Additional Potential Traffic Obstacle in rain or snow. Better to run off into dirt than a steel pole.
6. Obtaining and affording homeowners/property insurance is a MAJOR concern of residents.
Power Poles and Wildfires
By far, the biggest concern is wildfires started by power lines located near trees in the forest.
PG&E in California is an example of what happens when power lines are poorly maintained.
While APS does a great job of maintaining their equipment, the potential exists whenever there is a high power line near a tree in the forest.
PG&E is in the process of putting 10,000 miles of power lines underground for this very reason after their overhead power lines caused 1,500 fires over 6 years, including the devastating Dixie fire that burned 963,309 acres and 1,329 buildings. Read More: Business Insider
Many critics, including California Gov. Gavin Newsome have accused PG&E of prioritizing profits over safety measures for decades. Are we going to let APS do the EXACT same thing to Walker?
PG&E itself has stated “Undergrounding reduces ignition risk by nearly 99% in that location. Expanding our electric system underground will:
- Help prevent wildfires caused by equipment
- Reduce safety power outages
- Decrease the need for future tree work
- Improve reliability
- Protect the environment
- Beautify our hometowns”
Preferred Options
Correction – We previously stated that the APS proposal is for 69kV. That is incorrect, per a contact with APS.
The capacity is not being increased. APS has confirmed they are replacing the existing 12kV lines with new 12kV lines.
The issue now is using overhead power lines, compared to buried lines.
We agree that to bury power lines would initially be more expensive, but at a huge increase to safety.
Buried lines don’t start fires. It’s as simple as that. For a community that’s been evacuated twice in recent past, this is a priority.
We believe that the proper balance between cost, (both initial cost and long term maintenance costs), aesthetics, and safety, is to bury a 12kV line down Walker Road.
Planning Process
APS has been considering this plan for awhile. Because of the lower initial costs, they want to install overhead power poles. They have stated that the project won’t start work until Spring 2026. Before then, they will probably have a public comment period.
Projects in other areas of the state have found that by the time they got to the “public comment” period, their plan was in place and they followed the plan with little or no changes from the comments.
There are power poles down the length of Copper Basin road. Residents tried to stop their installation and failed. They started too late in the planning process.
We hope to have input now, earlier in the planning process.
Now is when decisions are being made, but APS is trying to avoid a public comment period, and using as many independant contractors as possible.
Now is when we can make a difference.
Call To Action
Make your voice heard by the people who are making the decisions at APS, then tell a friend.
Please contact each of the people listed below. Be nice. Be polite. Be persuasive. Reference work order #WE016235.
APS Construction Outreach Consultant at MakPro
Teresa Makinen at (602) 421-3069, apsprojects@makprosvc.com
APS Public Affairs Manager
Darla DeVille at (928) 443-6614, Darla.Deville@aps.com
APS Northern Arizona Division Director
Mackenzie Rodgers, Mackenzie.Rodgers@aps.com
APS Project Engineer
Dusty Alook, dusty.alook@aps.com
Who We Are
If you want more information, or you want to get involved at a deeper level, feel free to contact any of the people below.
Organizers
Rich Tupek rtupek2014@gmail.com – Resident
Tom DiCamillo vandtdicamillo@cox.net – Potato Patch HOA
Supporters
Mark and Carla Keegan markandcarlakeegan@msn.com – WCAA
Steve Fredericks lawdoglodge@gmail.com – Resident
Loren Bykerk oldike@gmail.com – Walker FireWise
Nick Wold nwold@freewaynetworks.com Walker WiFi
Conrad Walton conrad@prescottrealestate.com Real Estate Agent
Advocate
Chris Welker works for the Forest Service. Maintaining the forest’s visuals and landscape aesthetics is a very big part of the Land and Resource Management Plan. He is an advocate for a balanced solution. Feel free to encourage or thank him, if you want to.
Read the email he sent us in 2022.
Chris L. Welker
928-443-8072
chris.welker@usda.gov
344 S. Cortez St.
Prescott, AZ 86303
www.fs.usda.gov
Realty Specialist – Forest Service
Prescott National Forest